Please help DVC questions??? About This Page:

[DisneyGirl907]

Ok so I'm looking to buy DVC through Disney. If I buy 100 ponts at wilderness lodge are they still worth 100 at AKL?

[DisneyGirl907]

I'm just wondering because points are alot cheaper at WL

[lfredsbo]

Yes, a point is a point. Each DVC resort "charges" so many points per night per room type. For example a studio at Saratoga might be 14 points per night, while a studio at WL will be 19 points per night. Hope that makes sense.

[DisneyGirl907]

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

Yes, a point is a point. Each DVC resort "charges" so many points per night per room type. For example a studio at Saratoga might be 14 points per night, while a studio at WL will be 19 points per night. Hope that makes sense.

Than why is it so much cheaper to buy at WL vs AKL if all points are the same?

[HollyH]

Originally Posted by DisneyGirl907

Than why is it so much cheaper to buy at WL vs AKL if all points are the same?

Contracts for WL will expire before contracts at AKV as that DVC resort opened first. Also keep in mind that the annual dues will be different for each resort.

[lfredsbo]

Originally Posted by DisneyGirl907

Than why is it so much cheaper to buy at WL vs AKL if all points are the same?

It's the value of the resort - the points are the same in the sense that a point is a point but just remember that some resorts will use more points for a stay, and you can use your points at any DVC resort - just your home resort you can book earlier than other resorts.

[kellensmom]

If you are buying through disney and not already a dvc owner, I am not sure you can buy at WL? I think disney is only selling to new members at certain resorts. Through resale you can of course but anywhere.

[disney]

there are at times other resorts on buy back that you can buy like WL you will have to talk to a dvc rep to see whats avilible ??
just make sure you ask how many years left for any buy back ??

[chezp]

Are you looking to buy points through resale at Wilderness Lodge and then comparing the price to the Disney price of Animal Kingdom Lodge? If so, that will explain the discrepancy.

Disney changed the rules on points purchased through resale. They can now only be used for the Disney Vacation Club resorts and the RCI resort collection. Points purchased through resale cannot be used for Disney cruises, stays at non-Disney Vacation Club resorts (this includes Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney, Hong Kong Disneyland, resorts without a DVC annex at Walt Disney World and all Disneyland hotels - the only place you could use these points would be at the Villas at the Grand Californian), Adventures by Disney and the Concierge Collection of hotels.

Points purchased through Disney are more expensive, because they are be used for all of the above.

Hope that helps.

[MichaelF]

The big difference in choosing the home resort (WL vs. AK) is booking time. At your home resort you can book 11 months out and all other resorts you can book 7 months out. If you are going at a very busy time you may need to book early. That is why I would advise buy where you want to stay. Disney does have a supply of points for all sold out resorts. They use their right of first refusal to buy back points sold on the resale market to keep a supply. If you are looking at buying into a sold out resort I would advise checking the resale market at places like the Timeshare Store or DVC by Resale. There are restrictions on where you can use resale points. For example you can't use them for some of the collections, but those really aren't a good value for points use anyway. If you are going to use them at WDW resorts then it would be worth looking at.
You also should consider the resale value. Sure nobody intends to sell when they are looking to buy, but it happens. If you bought OKW from Disney today it costs about $100 per point. On the resale market OKW expiring at 2057 is selling around $65 per point or less.

[tjkraz]

Main factors to consider are:

1) Years remaining on contract. There are resorts at which ownership ends as early as 2042 (only 29 years from now) and others which run until 2060. Depending upon your age, this may be a huge factor. If you are in your 30s and plan to use the points after retirement, buying a '42 resort probably would not be wise.

Even if the future is less certain, bear in mind that resorts with later ending dates will hold their value longer. 20 years from now--in 2033--you could sell an AKV contract with 24 years remaining for a lot more than a VWL contract with 9 years left.

2) 7/11 month booking window. You can book 11 months from arrival at resorts you own but only 7 months out at non-Home locations. While most resorts tend to have SOME availability at 7 months, it may not be exactly what you want. For instance, the AKV concierge and value rooms are VERY difficult to get at 7 months. To have any realistic chance of securing those, you need to own AKV points. Other hard to book accommodations include BoardWalk Standard and BW view, Bay Lake Standard and Theme Park view, OKW Grand Villas, Hilton Head during the summer, and Beach Club pretty much year-round.

3) Annual Dues. Each resort has its own dues (operating budget) and you pay based upon the location you own. Doesn't matter where you use your points. Dues vary by property and can swing the finances dramatically. The best illustration of this is Vero Beach. You can buy Vero points very cheaply on the resale market but its dues are $2-3 per point (per year) more than every other DVC property. Saving $30 per point on a Vero purchase--compared to other resorts--may seem like a good thing. But not if the Vero dues will cost you $60-90 per point more over the next 3 decades.

[Disney Dork]

I'm just starting to look into DVC myself so I'm finding all this information very helpful.

[DisneyGirl907]

Hey everyone thanks for the replies I bought wilderness lodge Directley through DVC this morning just waiting for the papers but I'v paid up already We plan to buy another DVC share in the future as well. I'm so excited does anyone know how much it costs to bank points? The DVC cm asked me if I wanted to bank the 2012 points or use them.

[Disney Geek 5]

Originally Posted by DisneyGirl907

Ok so I'm looking to buy DVC through Disney. If I buy 100 ponts at wilderness lodge are they still worth 100 at AKL?

Points are just that points. No matter how many points you bought is how many you have to use within your use year! Now you can borrow from your next use year depending on how many nights you are staying and at where you will stay. When you stay on properties that aren't part of DVC . You will have to pay a $95 fee,but will still be able to stay at any one of those properties. One thing you want to remember is that if once after your trip ,you have points left over . You don't want to lose them so bank them. However,keep in mind that once you borrow from your next use year, you will not have those points to use. And you can buy one-time vacation points up to 25 points but
only once in a use year at the $12/$15 per point.

[Disney Geek 5]

Originally Posted by DisneyGirl907

Hey everyone thanks for the replies I bought wilderness lodge Directley through DVC this morning just waiting for the papers but I'v paid up already We plan to buy another DVC share in the future as well. I'm so excited does anyone know how much it costs to bank points? The DVC cm asked me if I wanted to bank the 2012 points or use them.

It doesn't cost anything to bank points!